0 Gay more commonly refers to homosexual males and lesbian more commonly refers to homosexual females, although gay may be used to describe both homosexual males and females. Homosexual is a clinical term and used almost exclusively by right-wing and conservative politicians, judges, activists, commentators, etc. (aka bigots). Well, if the couple is lesbian, first lady would present no problems. and in the case of two men, the royal tradition of calling the spouse queen would fit. The word would also apply for a lesbian who only has male friends (who she has no desire to copulate with), and who thus prefers them as companions. So, generally, we'd get: someone who prefers the company of members of the opposite sex. Queer , an old slang term for gay men, and fag / faggot , originally AE slang for a wimp or unmanly person, but which came to be associated with the stereotypical swishy gay man, have become inside terms; still inappropriate when used by a neutral party or a straight person, but acceptable in context between gay men. I have searched around and the closest I have come to an answer is “male gay” or “gay man,” neither of which is sufficient in my mind. Is there a male equivalent word describing having a same-gender sexual preference, such as lesbian is for women? “Torta” is a Spanish word commonly referring to a type of sandwich or cake. I have encountered the word “torta” used in English in informal contexts such as social media and online conversations, According to [Lesbian Cougar Dating], “Lesbian cubs are also attracted to lesbian cougar women who are poised, experienced, independent and assertive.” Pride And also reverse cougar is the straight female equivalent of cub : A young woman (aged from 18-22) who is genuinely/solely into older men (30 and on). The linguistic portion of this question is probably not very interesting. It seems that we use (or used) terms involving lavender to refer to gay people because the color lavender is or was associated with gay people. Why or how lavender came to be associated with gay people is interesting, but not a question about language. people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Not just gay. - A lot of people use the term gay for men and women - I have a female friend who describes herself as gay rather than *lesbian (not that she says lesbian doesn't apply, just that she generally users the shorter word). However, the OED's first record referring to lesbian women isn't until 1931. I thought that perhaps the 1896 date on the Online Etymology Dictionary originated from the same source as this passage: [T]he word appears first in the long forms, bulldiker and bulldyking, both used in the 1920s by American blacks.